First Ride: Devinci’s New Carbon Dixon

The 2012 Devinci Dixon was one of our favorite bikes of the year, and we've spent countless hours shredding on the Dixon's original aluminum incarnation over the past two years. We've often described the Dixon as an all-mountain machine for riders with DH dispositions, and probably the only nitpick our editors had with the aluminum version was that it was a tad hefty.

On the new carbon Dixon RX, getting fast and loose is a categorical imperative.

So when we got the chance to ride the new carbon Dixon at Interbike's Outdoor Demo in Bootleg Canyon yesterday, we seized the opportunity so quickly we neglected to take more than a half-bottle of water to share between two editors and a photographer.

The Dixon RX comes with wider ''man bars'' and a shorter stem, for a cockpit that's all about control.

In the end, it was worth the dry mouth and dehydration headaches, for the new carbon Dixon proved again to be playful and capable, in a lightweight package that offers no-nonsense upgrade options that make the bike eminently rideable right out of the box.

The model I was treated to is the RX, which comes equipped with wide bars and a short stem, a Fox Float 34 RL FIT fork upgrade from the Fox Float 32 RL FIT and a RockShox Reverb dropper post—and all of these sensible additions are available for only $300 more than the model with a Fox 32 fork, no dropper post and pinner bars. That's right, our ready-to-shred Dixon RX carbon bike will cost $4,600 compared to the slightly lighter but less capable Dixon RC, which will have a $4,300 price tag.

High-tech up top, party on the bottom: The Dixon's rear triangle features carbon seatstays with aluminum chainstays. Like all of Devinci's full-suspension bikes, the Dixon features the Dave Weagle-designed SplitPivot linkage.

On our initial ride on the often-rocky Bootleg Canyon trails, we found the addition of the Fox Float 34 fork really helped draw out the Dixon's natural trail-devouring features. With a bike as mean as the Dixon, in hindsight it seems almost a shame not to come with a Fox Float 34.

It might be 100-plus degrees in Bootleg Canyon, but that's no excuse not to get out and ride, is it?

It was also immediately obvious that the bike had shed some weight, and the lightness of the carbon frame allows for the addition of heavier parts elsewhere that help the Dixon achieve its fearless potential.

We recommend that you demo the new Dixon if possible. It's a great opportunity to compare how the Dave Weagle-designed SplitPivot linkage stacks up against other designs.